By: Joe Graedon May 4, 2017 213 Comments
    How Much Tonic Water Must You Drink to Ease Leg …

    People took quinine pills for decades to prevent leg cramps. Quinine comes from the bark of the cinchona tree in South America. The dose was substantial--200 to 300 mg. Researchers have described the …

    By: Joe Graedon May 15, 2016 19 Comments
    What Can You Do For Hand Cramps and Leg Cramps?

    Most people have heard of leg cramps. They can strike in the middle of the night. Some people call a leg cramp a Charley Horse. But hand cramps can be just as painful and debilitating. This reader sha…

    By: Joe Graedon August 17, 2015 106 Comments
    Reader Dismisses Mustard for Leg Cramps as Junk …

    Q. I am disappointed in your response to the person who claimed that swallowing a teaspoonful of mustard cured severe leg cramps in two minutes. You agreed with the writer that it was most likely the …

    By: Joe Graedon July 22, 2012 480 Comments
    Why Does Soap Soothe Nighttime Leg Cramps?

    We admit that putting a bar of soap under the bottom sheet near your feet seems like a strange way to prevent leg cramps. Many health professionals insist that it is pure placebo. But we think there a…

    By: Terry Graedon August 15, 2011 8 Comments
    Soap in Hand Relieves Cramps

    Q. I am prone to very painful hand and finger cramps. When they strike, I massage them or run hot and cold water over the hands, but nothing works except time. Today my left hand was in terrible pain …